NBA Jam (1993)
Mark Turmell and Midway's Billion-Dollar 2-on-2 Arcade Basketball Phenomenon
NBA Jam is a cultural-watershed 2-on-2 arcade basketball game created by lead designer Mark Turmell at Midway in 1993. Stripping away fouls for backboard-shattering dunks, digitized NBA superstars, secret politicians like Bill Clinton, and announcer Tim Kitzrow's immortal 'Boomshakalaka!' and 'He's on fire!' calls, it generated over $1 billion in arcade quarters within its first year alone.
Digitized Superstars, Backboard-Shattering Dunks, and Tim Kitzrow's Voice
Building on Midway's digitized sprite technology pioneered alongside Mortal Kombat and Mark Turmell's earlier brawl-heavy basketball game Arch Rivals, NBA Jam distilled professional hoops into pure four-player 2-on-2 adrenaline. Ditching free throws and whistle stoppages—save for goaltending—licensed duos like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant or Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton launched twenty feet skyward for somersault dunks that shattered glass backboards. Sinking three unanswered baskets ignited the player 'On Fire,' engulfing the ball in flames while voice actor Tim Kitzrow belted indelible 1990s catchphrases: 'Boomshakalaka!', 'He's heating up!', 'From downtown!', and 'Is it the shoes?'
A Billion Dollars in Quarters, Secret Characters, and Pistons-Bulls Folklore
NBA Jam shattered coin-op records, raking in over $1 billion in quarters during its first year before Acclaim's March 1994 'Jamday' home launch moved millions on SNES and Genesis. Its playground mystique was supercharged by button-code secret rosters—letting players dunk as U.S. President Bill Clinton, Al Gore, or Midway developers—and ultra-rare custom arcade boards burned by Turmell featuring unlicensed icon Michael Jordan. Decades later, lifelong Detroit Pistons fan Turmell famously confirmed rumors that he had hardcoded secret accuracy penalties against the rival Chicago Bulls during tight final-seconds finishes.